Architects of the Air Age: Charles A. Lind
bergh, first to fly the Atlantic, and Juan T.
Trippe, founder of the first globe-circling
airline, Pan American, confer in 1929 at
France Field in the Canal Zone.
West to Havana. It was a short hop by today's
standards, but Mr. Trippe had a dream. He
imagined vast, busy highways in the sky to
join distant peoples in good will and profit
able trade."
The Chief Justice recalled how the dream
became a reality. Safe, multi-engined planes
were built for Pan American. Airports were
carved from jungle wilderness. Navigation
and weather stations rose on barren moun
tain slopes. By 1934, Pan American Clippers
served all Latin America.
Then came the greater task of spanning
the vast Pacific. Desolate islands-Midway,
Wake, Guam-were transformed into way
stations for travelers and planes.
Conquest of the Atlantic for commercial
aviation-with the successful flight of the
Yankee Clipper from Port Washington, Long
Island, to Lisbon-arrived in 1939, but World
War II abruptly changed the program. Pan
American pilots trained military crews in
long-range flying techniques. The airline
ferried troops and cargo to battle zones. After
COURTESYPAN AMERICANAIRWAYS(LEFT); EWINGGALLOWAY
Pan American Clippers like this Sikorsky
S-40, soaring over steaming jungles and des
olate mountaintops, first linked all of Latin
America in the early 1930's. By 1947 the
fleet operated around the world.
the war, under Mr. Trippe's leadership, Pan
American girdled the globe with regularly
scheduled flights, and pioneered American
overseas jet service in 1958.
"Mr. Trippe has helped give man a new
awareness of his planet," Mr. Warren said.
Accepting the medal, the air pioneer pre
dicted even more dramatic advances.
"Progress has been made," Mr. Trippe said,
"but we will see greater progress in the next
10 years than we have seen before in any
previous 10-year period.
"We will see the 380- and 400-passenger
747's. Travel abroad will again double. We
will see the great American supersonic air
craft, the SST's. On world-trade routes we
will see reduction in tension between nations.
We will know one another far better than
was possible ever before.
"We are confronted with a race-a race
between the atomic bomb and the jet trans
port. In my opinion, the jet transport, fly
ing the trade routes of the world, will win
the race."
SIX-MONTH INDEX AVAILABLE
As one of the benefits of membership in the National Geographic Society, an index for
each six-month volume will be sent, upon request, to members who bind their GEOGRAPHICS
as works of reference. The index to Volume 132 (July-December, 1967) is now ready.
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